Bloomberg: Russia stole millions of tons of grain from Ukraine, calculations are important for future reparations

In 2023, Russia harvested almost 8 million tons of grain in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine: 6.4 million tons of wheat and almost 1.5 million tons of sunflower seeds. A clear understanding of the harvest volume is important for assessing possible reparations that Ukraine may demand from Russia.

This was reported by Bloomberg. It notes that it is difficult to say exactly where and in what volumes Russia is using the stolen grain, especially given that it can mix it with grain grown on its own territories.

This is already causing problems for international traders. The fact is that trading in such products "may increase legal risks" for them.

"Last year, the chief prosecutor of Switzerland warned traders to stay away from food products that were stolen from Ukraine. Otherwise, they risk committing a war crime," the statement said.

Estimating the amount of stolen food is difficult

However, it is impossible to speak of 8 million tons of grain as an exact figure. The problem is, analysts explain, that the longer the war lasts, the "harder it is to get reliable information about how much grain is sown and harvested."

However, they emphasize that there is no doubt that we are talking about millions of tons. "Millions of tons of the most important crops are grown in the Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine. The problem is that it is difficult to know exactly how much and where it really goes," the analysts summarized.

Why it is important to conduct calculations

At the same time, it is noted that it is necessary to estimate the amount of stolen goods by Russia. The reason is that in the future, it may help Ukraine determine the amount of possible reparations.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, at the same time, Russia is trying to increase its influence on the African continent by supplying free grain cargo ships there. It is expected that by the end of 2023, the volume of supplies to Somalia and Burkina Faso, which have close ties with Moscow, will reach 200 thousand tons.

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